To be entirely honest, I waffled quite a bit on the whole Nick Swisher – Xavier Nady question in spring training. While Swisher had better career numbers and was more likely to be a fit in the Yankee lineup, He was coming off a career worst season. Conversely, Nady was coming off his best year, and was seemingly just hitting his stride. Joe Girardi picked Nady, and I found it difficult to quibble with the decision, as Girardi assured us that both players would see plenty of time. However, Nady got injured in the first week, and the rest is history. Swisher started out red hot, and excepting one prolonged slump in May, has put forth an excellent season. However, as the Anthony McCarron’s article from this morning’s Daily News displays, his impact in the clubhouse has been just as important:
“Nick’s got a different personality, I would say, than we’ve seen on this club,” Andy Pettitte says. “Nick loves to talk, that’s for sure. He’s been fun to be around and very respectful, still. It’s just been a good situation.”
“He’s had an impact on the clubhouse,” adds Johnny Damon, whose locker is next to Swisher’s. “When I came over, I mean, this place was kinda dead, you know? I almost had to watch everything I said. I didn’t want to upset anyone. But having characters in here has helped everyone. It’s kind of like how Kevin Millar helped me in Boston – we changed the way things were in Boston, but it took another guy to put it full throttle.
“It’s completely different in here now. It’s great, we’re in this new stadium and there’s a lot of room to have fun.”
[snip]
Swisher is regularly the most-fined player at the Yankees’ new Kangaroo Court, an every-so-often player meeting that metes out “justice” for infractions for such things as not wearing a shirt for television interviews. Swisher relishes his outlaw status – in a recent series in Baltimore, a shirtless Swisher asked reporters to wait a moment before starting an interview and turned to do a set of push-ups against his locker to “pump up” for the occasion.
[snip]
Swisher draws praise from the Yankees for his charity involvement – some in the organization say he is by far the most active player in good-will missions. He has his own foundation and regularly entertains kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation who visit the Yankee dugout during batting practice.He went without a haircut for 11 months in 2007 so he could donate his hair to a charity that makes wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. His grandmother who raised him, Betty Swisher, a woman the Yankee calls the love of his life and inspiration, died of brain cancer in 2005.
Swisher treasures a picture that hangs in his locker of him sitting with Polly Tompkins, a 38-year-old first-grade teacher with melanoma who was the Yankees’ honorary bat girl during a charity drive this year. “She’s an inspiration,” Swisher says.
“Through life, the big man upstairs has given me so many things,” Swisher adds. “Whatever I can do to give people an opportunity or put a smile on their face, I really enjoy that.”
I strongly recommend that you read the entire article. It is a great profile of Swisher, and really shows how well he has fit into the clubhouse and changed the culture on a team that he become a bit too businesslike. As I said in the title, after reading this article, you gotta love Swish.
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17 Responses to You Gotta Love Swish
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TIQ IQ
Certainly a shrewd trade by Cashman, and suggests his M.O. going forward — look for value by buying low, players who are having or who are just coming off a poor season when set against their career record.
I am glad to see him getting on another hot streak here late in the season but a guy like Swish his value will come or not come in the playoffs truthfully. He is having a good season (not great) but if he doesn’t preform in the playoffs and doesn’t get hits in the playoffs he won’t be as “Valuable” as everyone is ranking him right now. I like Swish and I hope he does well but I think that is where his true value will show up because he is a streaky player and he needs to be on the right streak entering the playoffs.
I would say he is having a great season, depending on your expectations. Fangraphs has him as the 6th most valuable RF in baseball, with a chance to move up to 4th by year’s end. In regard to your other point, isn’t that true of everyone, that they can alter their value by performing (or not performing) in October?
Chris doesn’t like Swisher as much because I’ve argued that he’s more valuable, defensively, than Tex :)
That’s not true at all!! So get your head out of your back side with comments like that!! Your ignorance of Tex aside this has nothing to do with you or Tex!
Now Mo yes you could say everyone’s value is raised or lower based on the playoffs but I think Swisher’s value solely rests in the playoffs because I think we would be where we are with any number of RFers who all could have given the same amount of value Swish does at RF so because of that what he does in the playoffs will be more important than that of an Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter because you can’t replace them on this team and still have the best team in baseball.
Haha, I was kidding, Chris. Relax! My head is removed from my backside (for now).
I’m sure it will be there once again soon once I have my next big “argument” to fight for hahahaha
Haha.
My favorite part of the article:
“Swisher is regularly the most-fined player at the Yankees’ new Kangaroo Court, an every-so-often player meeting that metes out “justice” for infractions for such things as not wearing a shirt for television interviews. Swisher relishes his outlaw status – in a recent series in Baltimore, a shirtless Swisher asked reporters to wait a moment before starting an interview and turned to do a set of push-ups against his locker to “pump up” for the occasion.”
That’s just hilarious.
Definitely. It’s nice to have on him on the team this year, for offensive reasons, of course, and for the personality.
To be entirely honest, I waffled quite a bit on the whole Nick Swisher – Xavier Nady question in spring training.
That about sums it up for me too. I do think he has been a great addition for this team in many ways. One thing not mentioned is; how hard he has been working on his defense…I like that.
Yeah I give him credit for working on his D and his attitude couldn’t be more perfect for this team!
I’m not going to lie, I wanted Swisher over Nady as soon as they signed Tex. I like Nady, but, despite Swisher’s poor ’08 season, I still felt like I knew what to expect from him. He was going to walk and hit home runs. Good trade for Cashman’s resume.
I’m just going to say this on the Nady Vs Swisher argument and I will leave it alone….
I believe the numbers Nady would have put up this year would have been closer to last years than his career average for 162 and because of that I think Nady would have had a very valuable season batting 5 in the batting order. However I have always like Nick Swisher (his name doesn’t hurt him) and I am glad he is on the team and have been since the trade went down but I believe Nady as well and think no matter who was starting with both we would have been better off because they compliment each other. One is a contact hitter with some pop and the other is a power hitter who focuses on OBP more than average or contact.
You know it’s like an hour away or less with the amount of posting activity that has been going on in this place lately.
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I was very skeptical of the ‘Swish Nicker’ acquisition in the off season.I was dead wrong though.Guy carried us first month when it was needed and is as hot as can be and is a better all-round hitter & player here now in Sept then when we traded for him.Great trade by Cashman.One of his few.